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2025 Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

35 Colleges in California
6,016 Bachelor's Degrees
$54,104 Avg Early-Career Salary
Economics is of the hottest bachelor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #15 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 35 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 6,016 bachelor's degrees in economics to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Economics School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools in California Your choice of economics for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality economics program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for economics students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Economics Schools

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Economics in California

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in economics.

10 Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in Economics

1
909 Annual Graduates
$80,446 Median Starting Salary
$28,846 Median Student Debt

University of California - Berkeley is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in economics. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the economics program at University of California - Berkeley earn $26,342 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of California - Berkeley

2
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA

Stanford University is a good choice for students interested in a bachelor's degree in economics. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from Stanford University receive an earnings boost of about $44,000 over the typical earnings of economics majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Stanford University

3
830 Annual Graduates
$62,091 Median Starting Salary
$31,600 Median Student Debt

University of California - Los Angeles is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in economics. UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Los Angeles make $7,987 more than the average economics grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of California - Los Angeles

4
696 Annual Graduates
$66,334 Median Starting Salary
$25,864 Median Student Debt

It's hard to beat University of California - Santa Barbara if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in economics. UCSB is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - Santa Barbara earn a boost of around $12,230 over the typical earnings of economics graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of California - Santa Barbara

5

Claremont McKenna is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Claremont.

Bachelor's recipients from the economics program at Claremont McKenna College get $35,401 above the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Claremont McKenna College

6
178 Annual Graduates
$57,060 Median Starting Salary
$29,881 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Southern California make $2,956 more than the typical economics grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of Southern California

7
417 Annual Graduates
$50,295 Median Starting Salary
$24,977 Median Student Debt

UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Davis.

Soon after graduating, economics bachelor's recipients generally earn an average of $50,295 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of California - Davis

8
364 Annual Graduates
$51,192 Median Starting Salary
$20,957 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the economics program state that they receive average early career income of $51,192.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of California - San Diego

9
386 Annual Graduates
$44,087 Median Starting Salary
$15,538 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the economics program report average early career wages of $44,087.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of California - Irvine

10
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA

SCU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from Santa Clara University make $22,502 more than the standard economics graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Santa Clara University

Best Economics Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Economics Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 226 663
Oregon 185 532
Nevada 129 131
Hawaii 112 81
Alaska 75 16

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Economics is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

Economics Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Econometrics & Quantitative Economics 4,280
General Economics 1,613
Development Economics & International Development 95
International Economics 16
Other Economics 12

Related Major Annual Graduates
Sociology 8,090
Political Science & Government 5,663
Anthropology 1,513
International Relations & National Security 736
General Social Sciences 525
Geography & Cartography 506
Other Social Sciences 320
Urban Studies 217
Archeology 15

Notes and References

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